


How The Good Place Should Have Ended

by de_la_rae



Category: The Good Place
Genre: No Jason or Tahani (i was happy with how their stories ended), Sad with a Happy Ending, anyway enjoy and dont be too mad please hehe, how it should have ended, oh yeah uh season finale spoilers probably should've mentioned that earlier, ugh why am i bad at tagging these are so long
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:08:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22644640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/de_la_rae/pseuds/de_la_rae
Summary: The premise of this is that I was angry at how Season 4 Episode 13 ended so I wrote this to make up for that awful and unsatisfactory ending. It starts with Eleanor and Chidi and ends with Eleanor. I didn't include Tahani or Jason because I was actually not mad at how their stories ended. Anyway, please enjoy it! And remember that this is just how I wish the show would've ended so please to take anything I wrote too seriously or take any offense. I did not and would never intend to soil the fantastic and critically-acclaimed show that The Good Place is.
Relationships: Chidi Anagonye/Eleanor Shellstrop
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26





	How The Good Place Should Have Ended

**Author's Note:**

> also i have no idea what's up with the formatting i spent like half an hour trying to indent everything that wasn't indented and it wasn't working so please just ignore that   
> okay bye please comment stuff i'd love to read your feedback (if you have any)

“Well, would ya look at that!” Eleanor exclaimed, jumping up from the couch. She slammed _What We Owe to Each Other_ on the coffee table. “It only took me a few thousand Bearimys to do it, but I finally finished that stupid book!”

She pointed at the book, lying innocently where it’d landed on the table. “I’m done with you now, and don’t you forget it,” she said, mock-menacingly.

Chidi shook his head, smiling. “How is it that you can make hating on one of my favorite philosophy books of all time, nay,” he paused, “of all Bearimys so endearing and adorable?” he asked, putting his head in his hand.

Eleanor glanced over at him and grinned. “Maybe it’s my natural ability to have anything and everything I do make you fall more in love with me,” she quipped, tilting her head and smiling even wider.

“That’s not possible,” Chidi said. “I said I loved you infinitely, and infinity is everything to ever exist. But infinity doesn’t expand or grow, so technically, that statement is false.” He leaned back in his chair, smug and satisfied at out-sciencing and out-philosophizing his girlfriend.

“Ugh, you always win these arguments!” Eleanor groaned, flopping back down on the couch. “Stupid moral philosophy professor,” she muttered.

Chidi quirked an eyebrow. “I heard that, you know,” he said, looking up from his book for a second.

Eleanor scoffed. “Yeah, yeah.” She crossed her arms and looked away from Chidi, towards the balcony that let the morning shine through its open glass doors. He smirked softly, turning the page of his book.

A calming silence surrounded the two of them, like a peaceful spring day. For once, the room felt full, the need to do something vanishing out the balcony window. Eleanor sighed, the feeling overcoming her. The calmness tried to nestle itself into her soul, but she shook her head and pushed it away. Subconsciously, she wasn’t ready to go. She felt there was still one thing she needed to do.

The calmness reached Chidi as well, but unlike Eleanor, he welcomed it into his soul. It swirled inside of him and filled that space that had been so empty ever since he’d gotten to the Good Place. He smiled softly, sadly, knowing that soon he’d have to go.

That he’d have to walk through that door.

He watched the last moments of the sunrise wash over Eleanor’s face, bathing her in a dazzling golden glow.

He’d have to leave Eleanor.

“Chidi, can I ask you something?”

Chidi shook his head, closing _The Da Vinci Code_ so quickly it almost seemed like he wanted to stop reading. He sat up straight in his chair. Anything to take his mind off leaving.

“Yeah, what’s up?” he asked. Eleanor sighed, fiddling with her hands in her lap. A nervous habit she’d picked up from her time trying to figure out how to save all the souls in the universe.

“It’s… It’s Michael,” she said, looking over at Chidi. “I don’t think he’s okay. Last week, when he found out the council disbanded, he holed himself up in his office and didn’t come out until I made Janet go in there and teleport him to his room. And when I went in there this morning I found some really, really depressing song lyrics.”

She took a folded piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to Chidi. He read it over, forehead crinkling as he kept going.

“‘If the Bearimys keep on going, but you’ve been gone, how am I supposed to live on’?” Chidi asked, incredulous. “Of course he can only write coherent song lyrics when he’s going through an existential crisis.”

“I’d even go as far as to say that’s his emo phase,” Eleanor added. “Janet also told me that she caught him trying to sneak out. She followed him to the forest, you know, the one with the door that returns your essence to the universe,” she said.

Chidi winced. “I can’t believe it,” he said. “An eternal being like Michael wanted to end his life and return to nothing. Or, everything, I suppose.”

“Right,” Eleanor said, nodding. “And it’s so hard to see him like this, especially since he’s our friend. He was like this once before, when he thought he was going to be retired. He got out of it before, which means that we’ve got to do something to get him out again.”

Chidi pushed himself up from the chair and sat down next to Eleanor, putting his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him, grateful for the support.

“Well, he just needs something to complete him, right?” Chidi said, rubbing her arm. “So, what’s one thing he’s always wanted to do, but couldn’t?”

Eleanor rested her head on Chidi’s shoulder and intertwined their fingers. Michael had been through so much with them. All the reboots, the time when he watched over them on Earth to make sure they’d get into the Good Place, the battle with the judge to remake the system.

“With his last funk, all he needed was to realize that every human is a little sad because they know they’re going to die someday,” Eleanor said, more to herself than anyone.

She jumped up from the couch, almost whacking Chidi in the chin. “I’ve got it!” she shouted, turning to Chidi. “I’m going to see the Judge, be right back!”

She was out the door before Chidi could say, “I’ll wait right here for you.”

“You really mean it? I’m going to get to be – ”

“A human, yes,” Janet finished, smiling.

“But, you know, you’re going to live out there, on Earth until you die, and you’re going to have to go through the system to determine where you’ll go; you won’t know what’s going to happen to you,” Eleanor warned. She knew this was the right thing for Michael, but a part of her still wondered if this was the best way to go about it. That part of her didn’t want her friend to leave.

“Oh, Eleanor,” Michael said, putting his hand on her shoulder. “The best part of being human is not knowing what’s going to happen next.”

A wave of tears rose to her eyes and she put a hand on top of Michael’s. “Thank you,” she said, her voice cracking as she choked on her tears, “for everything.”

Michael squeezed her shoulder. “No, Eleanor,” he said, smiling. “Thank you.”

Eleanor blinked as she removed her hand from Michael’s to wipe her tears. It was no use, as she just kept crying.

Janet walked Michael forward and said, “I opened a bank account for you on Earth, with enough money so you won’t starve but not enough to make you an entitled jerk.”

Michael chuckled. “Thank you, Janet, really.”

“And don’t forget to make a doctor’s appointment, right once you arrive on Earth,” she added quickly.

“Thank you, Janet,” Michael repeated, opening the door to Earth.

“And don’t pay for insurance on rental cars! It’s a scam,” Janet blurted.

Michael turned around, halfway through the portal. “Alright, Janet. Thank you.” He looked at the pair that’d come to see him off. He nodded to himself, a final affirmation.

“Well, I guess I’d better get going,” he said, walking a little further through the door, but spun around at the last second. “Wait, before I forget: take it sleazy!” he joked, before facing Eleanor, her face completely tear-stained.

“And don’t forget, Eleanor,” Michael said, almost through the door. He looked right into her eyes before saying, “Everything is fine.”

The door closed once he’d walked through. Without the light from the portal, Janet and Eleanor stood in almost complete darkness, silent except for the doorman’s frog.

“Are you okay,” Janet asked, turning to her friend.

“Yeah,” Eleanor replied, wiping the last of her tears from her cheeks. “You go head back, I’m going to stay here a bit longer.”

“Alright. See you later.” Janet placed a comforting hand on Eleanor’s shoulder, then vanished.

Eleanor stood tall in front of the door Michael had walked through. She shoved the tips of her fingers into the pockets of her jeans. She sighed. _He’ll be fine,_ she thought.

At this moment, the calmness returned, lightening the feeling in Eleanor’s chest, but somehow made it feel whole. Complete. The feeling was comforting, peaceful. It felt okay to be whole, to be complete. To know that there is an end.

Eleanor smiled softly.

“Everything is fine.”

Chidi was hurriedly pacing the living room when Eleanor returned. He turned to her at the slam of the door.

He spread his arms. “Well, what happened? Is Michael okay? Did you fix him?” Eleanor walked into his arms and wrapped her arms firmly around him. Surprised, Chidi tentatively rested his arms on her back.

She nodded into his shirt. “Yeah, we fixed him alright,” she said, looking up at Chidi. “We sent him to Earth.”

“What?” Chidi exclaimed. “Why would you do that? And the Judge is okay with this?”

“The Judge approved it, don’t get your sweater vest in a bunch,” she said, poking his chest. “No, I realized that he’d never be complete without knowing what it’s like to completely be a human. So, that’s what he’s going to do,” Eleanor said.

Unwrapping one of her arms, Eleanor dragged Chidi to the couch out on the balcony. They plopped onto the plush cushions and cuddled into each other. Their heads touched as they leaned into each other to watch the last of the sunset.

After a moment, Chidi said, “I have something to tell you.”

“Me too,” Eleanor said.

“You first,” they said in unison, dissolving into giggles.

“No really, you first,” Eleanor repeated, snuggling into Chidi. She could feel him grin as he started talking.

“I’m ready,” he said. Eleanor knew what he meant. “I’ve been ready for a long time, but I’ve stuck it out just for you because I can’t leave knowing that you’ll still be here.”

Eleanor looked up at him. “Really? You’ve been ready? How long?”

Chidi grinned. “Since that time with our families, when my mom kissed you on the cheek and your mom wiped the lipstick off.” He sighed, getting lost in the memory. “I don’t know why it was such a small moment, but that’s what did it. Ever since then, I’ve felt what the others described.” He looked down at Eleanor. “I felt whole.”

“Complete,” Eleanor added.

“Exactly,” Chidi said. “Wait, how do you know that? Are you –”

“I’m ready.”

Chidi smiled. “Oh, that’s just great! That’s wonderful!” he exclaimed with glee. He turned towards Eleanor. “Now, I don’t have to worry that I’m leaving anything behind.”

“That’s one way to put it,” Eleanor said, grabbing his hand. “Tell me something else, about all this, moving on stuff. I need some philosophy mumbo jumbo to make this feel like it’s real.”

Chidi chuckled. “Okay. Let’s think,” he started. “Ah, I know.”

He settled further into the couch, pulling Eleanor closer to him. “It’s like, wave,” he began. Eleanor closed her eyes, letting his voice relax her. “A wave is just water, and it builds up and down and back up again. Until it crashes down onto the sand, and suddenly, the wave is gone.”

He stopped, checking on Eleanor. She’d opened her eyes and was staring up into his. He smiled.

“But the wave is just water, and the water goes back to the ocean. So in a way, it’s still there, apart of the ocean.”

Eleanor nodded. Chidi felt something wet soaking through his shirt and looked down to see Eleanor using his shirt as a tissue.

“Sorry,” she said. He waved it off, wiping a few more tears off her cheek with his thumb.

He smiled and kissed the corner of her eye, catching a stray tear. “Not everything is bad,” he said.

Eleanor looked up at him. She smiled and leaned into him. “I know.”

“Alright. You can sit on the bench until you’re ready, and when you are, you can walk right through that door,” Janet explained, turning to Eleanor and Chidi.

The two had walked through the forest with their arms around each other, not wanting to be separated until the very end. They stopped behind Janet, who stopped in the clearing before the door to the universe.

“Thanks, Janet,” Eleanor said, smiling up at the not-girl.

“You’re welcome, Eleanor, Chidi,” Janet said.

“Don’t forget us,” Chidi said.

“That is impossible,” Janet countered, grinning at the joke.

“Alright, come here, group hug,” Eleanor said, beckoning to Janet to join her and Chidi. Janet happily bounced over to the other two, enveloping them in a titanium-strength hold.

“I love you guys,” Janet said, squeezing them a little tighter.

“We love you too, Janet.”

After a few minutes, they pulled out of the hug. “I’ll leave you here,” Janet said, making her way towards the exit of the clearing. She turned before she was out of sight to say, “Goodbye, my friends.”

The two waved at Janet as they watched her disappear into the forest. When she was gone, they turned to each other. Eleanor grabbed Chidi’s hands and squeezed them gently. She grinned, the corners of her eyes crinkling as Chidi smiled at his feet. Still smiling, they looked at each other’s faces one last time.

Chidi sighed. “Well, I’m going to go ahead. You coming?”

Eleanor looked behind him at the door and the infinity beyond it. Turning back to him, she said, “Nah, I think I’ll wait here for a minute. You go without me.”

“Okay,” Chidi said, squeezing her hands before leaning down for a kiss. When he pulled away and dropped her hands, Eleanor waved at him. He let one of those soft smiles cross his face before turning back to the door.

“Like a wave,” he whispered and stepped through the door.

Eleanor looked up as he walked through. It seemed wrong to watch him. When she thought he was gone, she tilted her head back down. Beyond the door was empty; there was no evidence to suggest someone had just gone through.

Eleanor sighed and made her way to the bench. She sat down and ran her hand over the wood. She didn’t know what was next, what would happen after she would walk through that door. She glanced up at the arch. It was just some branches and twigs weaved together, nothing special, really.

Eleanor sat on that bench for a couple of hours, just thinking. Thinking about life, the afterlife, death, the list goes on. Everything she’d experienced during all her lives and all the reboots. Her friends. The memories she’d shared with them appeared at the front of her mind, and Eleanor’s eyes started to water. She sniffed and breathed in, looking up at the sky.

Finally, she got up from the bench.

Standing in front of the door made everything feel so much more real. It reminded her of what she was about to do. Eleanor closed her eyes and took a deep breath in and blew it out slowly. When she opened her eyes, the feeling was still there. The calmness, the peace.

The comfort in having an ending.

Eleanor took a few steps and passed through the door, looking up to the endlessly tall trees. She smiled as she returned to the universe, became everything.

“Everything is good.”

**Author's Note:**

> really sorry about the indenting! i did my best to fix it but, oh well. how was it? please comment if you want, i love getting feedback


End file.
